UHRBid...
When you buy a CD you 'own' the plastic.
The content [music] is owned by the artist/manager/label/etc....not by you.

You are legally entitled to turn the CD into a drink coaster or perhaps pop-art...but the audio content is not yours to alter, just to play [privately].

Once that reality is understood, the concept of audio format conversion possibly infringing on copyright becomes apparent...

I like my home country. There's no such thing as copyrights.

legally it's mine to play, and play it I will, just not their way

Since there's no way to trace it, then ripping (I don't distribute) is a prefect crime, so viva la revolution! fnck them, and I'll enjoy my mp3 music I supported

Besides, the whole copyrigth thing would be an American thing, so if I can find an drop-box internationally i"m even legal (no international copyright), but since I bought the artist, no judge would find that as guilty even if they did trace it, ADN cared enough to do anythign about it... pity it's not criminal law though, a jury would be even easier to win

UHRBid: excuse me, but copyright is not an American concept. Actually, the US of A is a late comer in the international Berne convention (1989).

Elfie: are we supposed to go wow and admire China?

actualy, I've just spent part of my morning reading the DMCA, and I don't see how ripping to mp3 is illegal (at least in the US).

"circumvention of technological measures used to protect copyrighted works, and [...] tampering with the integrity of copyright management information."
--6th paragraph under Title I

the works are remaining copyrighted and protected, I just extended the protection to include works ripped by me onto my computer...

oh yeah, a co-worker trumped my with the international copyright thing... He's claiming the UCC and WIPO are international law. They aren't. They're an ATTEMPT. Since many nations around the world aren't members, they aren't going to have the power to do anything everywhere.

MP3s are illegal just like my tape recorder, minidisc, and VCR, all of which excel at ripping copyrighted works for me

oops.... that did post... ah well

Jafo, you don't need to debate me, I won't change no more than I expect you would

The difference is that I, too rip CDs to MP3s for listening on my comp...saves wear and tear on the CDRom drive....BUT I know that it is a copyright issue.
Others claim it is not, and they are wrong.
Simple as thet.

I'm not going to argue the legality or it (I don't speak legal-ese well enough) past this. I just don't care if it's illegal or not. If I'm breaking the law, I don't care; If I'm not, then I don't care either.

*innocent look*... why should aI watch my language, I don't see anything

Glad I'm now 'pathetic', Elfkura.

Good to see I'm improving...

UHRBid...only because I removed that post...

When I buy a CD I want to be able to put the tracks on my computer so as to facilitate customized playlists. I'm not going to give it to anyone. Is that wrong? Copy protected CD's prevent me from doing that. It's still for my own personal use. What is the harm?

in the strictest of senses, it's is considered illegal in most major countries.

but if you want to look on the bright side, you'll get criticized for it, but no one actually does anything

jafo, I've seen that 'bryceworld' wallpaper you made... it violated itself plenty enough